OLD lawyers do not die. They just lose their appeal.

I am glad to note that there are still lawyers alive in their 80’s.

For as long as I remember, Paterno Guevarra has appeared for the poor and disadvantaged. He joined politics and became a long serving councilor prior to martial law. Pat was appointed as Officer-in-Charge of the office of the Mayor in 1986 and was elected in his own right as the Mayor of San Fernando. The three dominant political figures then were: Pat Guevarra, Virgilio Sanchez and Mando Biliwang. Pat used to say Guevarra is gold. Sanchez is silver and Biliwang is bronze so he should be proclaimed as the Champion.

Pat is still around, content in doing his job as a lawyer and as a politician who did not profit from his government service.

I am proud to be a friend of a lawyer from Masantol who served the judiciary. He used to serve in the Bureau of Internal Revenue when he was persuaded to run as mayor of our town. I campaigned and voted for him although he failed to win. Then, he was appointed as Municipal Trial Court Judge of Apalit and soon appointed as Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court of San Fernando. He retired with dignity, having served the judiciary with distinction. He leads a simple and private life in his modest fish ponds in our town and Judge Pedro Sunga can still look back and say: “I have served my country.”

He was my professor in civil law in the 70’s at Harvardian Colleges. He served as an Assistant Prosecutor of the province. Then he was picked by then Governor Estelito Mendoza as Provincial Attorney. When there was a need to select an Officer-in-Charge brought about by the teacher’s uprising in the 80’s, he served without hesitation the City of San Fernando. Not young anymore, Vicente Macalino is content in his retirement as he makes a statement: mission accomplished.

To Pat, Pedro and Vic, we salute you.